Axle-clutch.



Patented Dec. 17,1912.

1'; SHEETSSHBBT l.

H. H. DUNLEVY.

AXLE CLUTCH. APPLICIATION FILED 00T.23, 1911.

Pateilted Dec. 17,1912

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

4 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4: are perspective the wheel in bothdirections.

UNITED STATES PATENT F Q nanmson n. DUNL'EVY, or WHEELING, wa er vmcmu.

AxIjE-cLU'ron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 23,1911. Serial No. 856,226.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON H; DUN- LEVY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Wheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of WestVirginia, have invented new and useful lmprovements in Axle-Clfitches,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to axle-clutches, and more particularly toclutches of the type specified which are used'for the purpose ofconnecting the wheels and driving axle of amotor car or otherself-propelled vehicle in such amanner that either wheel is free toover-run the other and the axle, under certain circumstances, the wheelrevolving at the lower rate of speed at .such time serving to propel thevehicle, while the over-running wheel rotates idly.

The invention com rehends, briefly, an improved clutch whic is designedfor use in place of the ordinary forms of difierential now employed, andfor attachment directly to the outer faces of the driving wheels, the'construction and arrangement of its component parts being such as toadmit of its application to anyof the well-known makes of car withoutinvolving an rial alteration of the wheels alread 'used thereon or theemployment ofspecial y constructed additional or substitute parts.

An embodiment ofthe invention is illustrated .in the accompanyingdrawings, whereof- Figure 1 is a broken front elevation of saidinvention applied to a motor car wheel; Fig. 2 is a vertical section onthe line 2-2 views, respectively, of a friction shoe and a rockerincluded in the clutch; and Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged fragmentaldiagrammatic viewsshowing the movements of the,

rocker and shoe during the revolution of In said drawings, 1 indicates,generally,

a motor car wheel of any conventional make, and 2 the hub portionthereof, said wheel being revolubly mounted upon the .reduced portion orspindle 3 of the driving axle at,

: ject matter of case securedjdirectly.

between which spindle and the hub t ere is interposed a series ofanti-friction r01 ers 5. The driving clutch constituting the subs matetothe outer hub flange 6 and consists, preferablyfiof a casing 7 providedwith an axial sleeve portion 8 and a-peripheral flange or wall 9, thelatter part servin as a friction element, as hereinafter descrl ed.Spindle 3 passes loosely throu' h sleeve .8. VYithin said casin whoseteet 11 taper slightly inward attheir inner ends, the points at whichsaidvteeth join the body of thewheel being curved or rounded to producethe seats 12, subsequently referred to. Wheel 10is' revolubly".mountedupon sleeve 8,a nd is rotated by ,means of a clutch disk 13whose inner face is rovided ad'acent its peripheral edge wit a series ofateral teeth 14: that project intocor'respondingly shaped seats 15formed in the outer face of thestar-wheel. This Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

there .is inc osed a star-wheel 10' disk is keyed to spindle '3, asindicated by "the numeral 16, so as to rotate therewith, and is furtherprovided, with an outwardly extending hlib 17 upon which is threaded acap 18, the latter element inclosing said hub and, also, the usualretaining nut 19 that is threaded on the terminal of the spindle. Whilethe atom-mentioned star-wheel is preferably employed, it will beapparent that a spider or other analogous element of:

the friction shoes, which latter are subst-antially arc-shaped and arethiclrened or enlargedtransversely, at the po nt indicated, thecurvature of the outer. faces of the shoes being the same as that of theelement 9 In addition'to' the parts described above, the casing Tina-y,be equipped with a cover plate v26 havinga central openin 27 in which,the; clutchdisk 13 is disposed. This plate maybe. attached to thecasing in any.

e inner faces of v n F hand tooth. 11 thereof will bear against thesuitable manner, but preferably by means of an internally threadedperipheral flange 28 star-wheel is insufiicient to effectually forcewith which it is provided, said flange fitting I the shoes against thecasing flange, so that the threaded outer portion of the casing wall theouter ear wheel is thus free to rotate at or flange 9. i the necessarilyincreased speed.

The construction above described is de- The construction and arrangementof the signed to replace the differential now in rockers are such as toenable them to turn general use, as already stated, the transmisor swingupon eithe end as a fulcrum dursion shaft eing connected directly to theing the rotation of the star wheel, and since driving axle by ordinarybevel gearing. It they merely fit loosely inthe spaces between will beseen, therefore, that the axle may the teeth of the star wheel and haveno posiwellbe of one-piece construction, instead tive or permanentconnection with either of the usual two-piece construction, althoughthat wheel or the casing or its cover, they the clutches, which areapplied directly to constitute in effect floating parts. This is thehubs of both driving wheels, do not realso true of the friction shoeswhich have quire the substitution of the one-piece for only a looseengagement with the apiees of the two-piece construction. the rockers.

When the car is in motion, It will be understood from the foregoingtransmitted to the axle will be transmitted that the device as a. wholecan be applied by that part to the starwheels, through the to the wheelsof any of the ordinary makes agency of the clutch disks 13. The starofmotor car now in general use, and, morewheels, in turn operate the shoes20, causing over, without requiring other alteration than the outersurfaces thereof to frictionally the substitution of bevel gearing forthe grip the inner surfaceof the casing flanges differential customarilyemployed, since the 9, whereupon said casings and, with them, device isattached directly to the outer face the car wheels, will be caused torotate. The of the wheel hub and does not necessarily friction shoes aremoved outwardly toward involve even the removal of the wheels. andagainst the casing flanges by the rockers I claim as my invention 2 21,which latter, on being actuated, act in l. A differential clutchcomprising-a. casthe same manner as a toggle. The action of ing providedwith a peripheral wall constithese rockers is illustrated in Figs. and6, tuting a friction element; a star-wheel rowhich depict the rotationof the star-wheel tatably mounted within said casing and ,in bothdirections. lVhen said wheel rotates adapted to be positively driven,said wheel a counter-clockwise direction, the rightbeing formed withcurved seats at the junctions between its teeth and body; a series ofsubstantially triangular flcatingrockers disposed in the spaces betweenadjacent teeth and formedwith curved ends normally occuother hand, thepower supplied to the outer the power adjacent end 23 of the rockerdirectly in advance thereof, with the result that the opposite end 22 ismoved slightly outwardlyfrom its seat 12, while the apex 24- is alsopying said seats; and a series of floating fricforced outwardly, thuspressing the shoe tion shoes looselymounted upon the apiees of forciblyagainst the casing flange. In this said rockers, each tooth of saidwheel being instance the end 23 of the rocker constitutes its fulcrum,and the pressure exerted by the adjacent tooth against that end istransmitted both toward theend 22 and toward apex 24, the rocker andshoe assuming the dotted line positions. When the star-wheel thecorresponding shoe rotates clockwise, the rocker and shoe move element.

in a reverse direction to that above de- 2. A. differential clutchcomprising a casscribed. On taking a curve, the action of ing providedwith a peripheral wall constithe two car wheels difiers slightly fromthe tnting a friction element; a star-wheel roforegoing, since the outerwheel must retatahly mounted within said casing and volve at a greaterspeed than the ,inner adapted to be positively driven, said wheel wheel,and, therefore, over-runs the axle.' being formed-with curved seats atthe junc- In such instance, the resistances opposed to tions between itsteeth and body; a series of the two wheels are unequal, the greatersubstantially triangular floating rockers disresistance is opposed tothe inner Wheel and posed in the spaces between adjacent teeth requiresgreater pressure to.be overcome.

n consequence, the power transmitted to the driving axle is distributedunequally therefrom, the greater part bing transmitted to the innerwheel, through the agency of the corresponding star-wheel, so that thatwheel acts as the driver; on the adapted to press laterally against theadjacent end of the rocker directly in advance thereof, for turning therocker upon that end as a fulcrum, to move the opposite end and apex ofsaid rocker outwardly and force against said friction occupying saidseats, and with curved apices; and. a series of floating areuatefriction shoes formed upon their inner'faees with centrally-locatedcurved seats wherein said apices are loosely received, each tooth ofsaid wheel being adapted'to press laterally and formed with curved endsnormally against the adjacent end of the rocker dimy hand in presenee oftwo'subscribing witrectly in advance hereof, for turning the nesses.rocker upon that end as a fulcrum, to move HARRISON H DUNLEVY theopposite end and apex of said rocker 5 outwardly and force thecorresponding shoe Witnesses:

against said friction element. ALBERT AFUOHS, In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set GEO. W. BREMER.

